Fleming beats clock, to save Panthers

December 12, 2008|By MATT KOPSEA Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Jarrett Fleming won both the battle and the "war" Thursday night. Fleming's rebound basket with less than one second remaining gave Washington a 57-55 victory over visiting Mishawaka in Northern Indiana Conference boys basketball action. After Mishawaka's Javonte Young converted a free throw with 7.4 seconds left to tie the game, the 6-foot-5 Fleming proved to be in just the right place as he put back a missed 10-foot jumper from the left corner by Jerron Jamerson just before the horn sounded. "I was just trying to get in good position for a rebound," said Fleming, who finished with seven points and three rebounds. "When I saw the ball come off the rim, I didn't even bother to look at the clock. I knew there wasn't much time left, so I just tried to put it back in the basket as quick as I could." Although everything worked out in the end, the final sequence didn't actually go as planned for the Panthers (4-0, 1-0 NIC). "The way we had things set up, Jourdan (Vann) was the one who actually was supposed to take the shot from the corner," explained Washington coach Chad Johnston. "I have to give a lot of credit to Mishawaka and Coach (Ryan) Watson, though, because they defended us tough and never allowed the play to develop. "Although Jarrett wasn't much of a factor offensively tonight, he certainly did his job there at the end. We have a drill in practice called 'war,' in which the guys crash the boards to get rebounds. Jarrett did exactly what he was supposed to do." Despite committing 11 turnovers, the Cavemen (3-1, 0-1 NIC) still managed to enjoy as big as a nine-point cushion (26-17) in the opening half. Steven Heatherly was responsible for much of that early success with 13 of his 15 total points in the first half as Mishawaka led 30-25 at the break. While junior Kennis White did his fair share in the first half to keep the Panthers in contention by netting 12 of his 19 points, it was the 5-8 senior Vann who helped brought them all the way back. Vann tallied 13 of his 18 points after the break as Washington took a 55-54 lead with 49.5 seconds left. "We did what we could to try and keep their two scorers (Vann and White) under control," Watson said. "We wanted to try and wear him out by keeping the pressure on him defensively. He is just too good of a player, though, to keep held down for the entire game." Following turnovers by both teams, Mishawaka had an opportunity to regain the lead after Young was fouled in the closing seconds. The 6-foot sophomore Young missed the first free throw attempt, though, to set up the exciting finish. "Our kids did everything we asked out of them tonight," Watson said. "All I told them was to make sure they go find their shooters and guard them. We did just that. Although we forgot to block out Fleming at the end, I have no complaints with them." Young chipped in 17 points, while Ryan Benner, who left briefly in the fourth quarter with a nose injury, added 10 and nine boards. WASHINGTON 57, MISHAWAKA 55At South Bend MISHAWAKA (55): Cortez Lee 1 0-0 3, Steven Heatherly 6 2-3 15, Javonte Young 5 6-7 17, Frank Kuespert 3 2-2 8, Ryan Benner 4 1-1 10, B.J. VanderZwaag 1 0-0 2, Adam Wojtysiak 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 20 11-13 55. WASHINGTON (57): Jourdan Vann 4 6-6 18, Teven Watson 3 0-1 6, Jarell Henry 0 3-4 3, Troy Franklin 0 0-0 0, Jerron Jamerson 1 2-4 4, Jarrett Fleming 3 1-1 7, Kennis White 7 4-6 19, Mike Carter 0 0-0 0, Bo Calhoun 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 18 16-22 57. Mishawaka13304355Washington132540573-point goals: Mishawaka 4 (Heatherly, Lee, Young, Benner), Washington 5 (Vann 4, White). Total fouls: Mishawaka 19, Washington 15. Shooting: Mishawaka 20-of-39 (51 percent), Washington 18-of-43 (42 percent). Rebounds: Mishawaka 21 (Benner 9), Washington 26 (White 10). Turnovers: Mishawaka 17, Washington 15. JV score: Washington 53 (Bo Calhoun 10, Harry Billingsley 10), Mishawaka 20 (Matthew Kobold 8). Varsity records: Mishawaka 3-1 (0-1 NIC), Washington 4-0 (1-0 NIC). Officials: Dave Spencer, Jim Weinberg, Bruce Wirick.